CHP leader questions govt’s Human Rights Action Plan

ANKARA

Republican People’s Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has accused the government of not being able to meet principles of human rights for citizens in Turkey despite ruling the country for the last 19 years while questioning that why the requirements of the newly announced Human Rights Action Plan were not realized in these years.

Speaking to TV 5 private broadcaster on March 4, Kılıçdaroğlu suggested that the government’s Human Rights Action Plan aimed only to give a message to the European Union and the new U.S. administration.

“[President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan] is giving a message to the EU, to [new U.S. President Joe] Biden,” the CHP leader said, claiming that the government aims to avert possible international pressure on the course of human rights in Turkey.

Erdoğan wants to give a message that “we will do these things, and do not put pressure on us,” Kılıçdaroğlu said, referring to the action plan unveiled by the president on March 2.

The CHP’s leader cited an EU project that funded Turkey for human rights development in the country, saying that the action plan was an outcome of this project.

Turkey “received money from the EU to prepare this action plan. Is money being charged for this?” he said, emphasizing that these rights should be granted to citizens naturally, not as a necessity of an EU project.

Recalling that the president vowed to take a step on the Human Rights Action Plan, Kılıçdaroğlu asked, “Why haven’t you done so until now?”

The Constitutional Court makes a ruling, but the lower court, which has to implement the decision, says that it will not comply with the decision.

“They say we will reform justice; some are in prison because of their thoughts,” Kılıçdaroğlu said.

Turkey’s political environment is not suitable for constitutional changes, and there should be no intention to make such a move, but the government has been discussing closing political parties, Kılıçdaroğlu stated.

President Erdoğan promised to strengthen freedoms of expression and organization, the right to a fair trial as part of a Human Rights Action Plan and emphasized that the ultimate goal of the plan was a new constitution.